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When I was a kid, I would always lie to get out of trouble. The majority of the time the lie would get me into more trouble than I was facing at first. My dad would always tell me ” If you would’ve told me the truth to start with you wouldn’t be as much trouble as you are in now”. I would always roll my eyes and think “yeah right”. Somewhere in LA Josh Shaw was rolling his eyes too.

We recently heard a story about how USC CB Josh Shaw heroically saved his little cousin from drowning by jumping from a two story balcony, crawling to the pool, and magically slivered in and pulled his cousin to safety.

Wait a minute…

First I thought, a 7 year old in California can’t swim? How can you swim with two broken ankles? Is that even possible? The kid was alone at an apartment pool in the summertime? How’d he get out of the pool? There were plenty of questions. I put them all to rest because if the media reported it then it must be true right? I mean the media said Manti Teo had a girlfriend so of course they’re super credible.

But here we are on August 27th and the truth comes out. Josh Shaw lied. Josh Shaw was fleeing a burglary. Josh Shaw is an idiot. Now this is what I have a problem with. He didn’t have to lie. As college football fans we are well aware of how legal misconduct is handled when it pertains to high profile athletes. Theres a huge uproar, the athlete in question apologizes, the police commissioner gets box seats for the next home game, athlete gets slap on the wrist, we forgot about it. Apparently, Josh Shaw hasn’t been in touch with national media for the past decade. You big dummy.

If he had told the truth he would have only received a slap on the wrist. Might have been suspended for a few games and then boom he’s back with a vengeance and redeeming himself on and off the field. Instead Josh Shaw is suspended indefinitely from all football activities. Now his integrity is about as broken as Paul George’s leg and maybe his D-1 football career. We always say “innocent until proven guilty” but we also say “once a liar always a liar”. Capitan no mas for Josh.

There’s a valuable lesson to be learned in this. Only break into apartments on the first floor.

Earlier this evening Missouri Tigers DE Michael Sam announced that he is homosexual. This is the first high profile NCAA player to “come out”. I applaud Sam’s courage in announcing who he really is to the world and I pray that his team mates continue to support him through the tough times ahead.

The downside to this is that Michael Sam is also declaring for the NFL Draft and unfortunately this may affect his draft stock. NFL locker rooms are borderline homophobic which is somewhat appalling given the homoerotic behavior exhibited in most locker rooms. NFL executives may be wary of bringing in a player in fear of the retaliation or other issues that may be awaiting the soon to be NFL rookie. Especially given the fallout after the Jonathan Martin ordeal. This coupled with Sam’s less than stellar performance in Mizzou’s bowl game is definitely going to affect his draft stock.

But any who, congratulations to Sam for having courage enough to be who he really is in spite of all that may befall him. Michael Sam is a Tiger and regardless of the orientation of his stripes, he’s still a Tiger. Hopefully, sooner than later, everyone will see it that way.

I’m not really sure what this means but I do not like it. It seems the SEC, Big Ten and PAC-12 and have followed the NCAA and folded under the pressure of litigation costs. They have decided that they will no longer license their trademarks out to EA sports for use in the NCAA Football video game. They citing the mounting mounds of cash dedicated to litigation as the reason why.

This is very disturbing for me because as a child the NCAA Football game was the reason I became so immersed in college football. I learned “Rocky Top” because of NCAA Football. I remember playing the game and my father hearing me hum the tune and asked me did I know the words. The rest was history.

The video game may arguably be one of the NCAA’s biggest marketing tools. This decision may signal an end to the franchise. I don’t see how you can make the game without three of the nation’s power conferences logos. I think the schools can still choose to license their individual schools trademarks out. That fact provides an ounce of hope that the franchise can survive.

Former players are suing the NCAA for many things; using models that resembled them in the game without compensation just so happens to be one of those things. Apparently the litigation costs outweigh the marketing benefits the game provides. The NCAA is standing by its declaration that it has solid legal footing in using the players in the video game but we know a smoke screen when we see it. I’m assuming any future earnings from the video game would be considered in a settlement package if the case doesn’t go the NCAA’s way. Might just be temporary and simply damage control. What do you guys think about this mess?

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced this morning that he plans on suing the NCAA for the sanctions handed down. I believe he has all the right to do so. An entire program and school was punished for the actions of a few people.

The $16 million dollar fine on the football program. How did that serve justice for the molested children? Here you are punishing an entire program which includes several families, students, etc. for the actions of a few individuals.

Forfeiting the wins. Why would you forfeit the wins for those years and tarnish the legacy of all those players and other individuals for the actions of a few people? Did Sandusky molesting kids give Penn States football team an unfair advantage over the other schools? Did him molesting kids bring recruits to the school? I think not. Therefore they have no grounds to forfeit those wins.

I could go on and on about this but Joe Paterno is dead. Bless his soul. And Sandusky is exactly where he belongs and will remain. Justice has been served. The individuals who committed the crimes or misdeeds have been punished. So why must the innocents of the Penn State Football suffer along with them, and suffer so greatly.

It is unjust. The punishment was so severe as to make sure that the NCAA would receive no backlash accusing them of allowing such actions by their players and coaches. It is all a political game. No need for the fine. No need for half the things that happened. Unfortunately those things did happen but we need to move on. Justice has been served, now let’s reevaluate all these sanctions and fines and hand out a more appropriate punishment. Shout out to Tom Corbett for having the moral courage to stand against the popular sentiment and fighting for the forgotten.

I’m not naive enough to believe that this isn’t a political move by the Governor but I’m still hoping people will echo my sentiments. Those students at Penn State don’t deserve this. Those coaches don’t deserve this. The families of all those associated individuals don’t deserve this. Let’s give em what they deserve. Sandusky got what he deserved. Let Penn State Live.

The year that USC is finally eligible to go to a bowl game they are the number one team in the land. Thanks to the Penn State scandal they land Silas Redd to give them the best offense in the country or at least tie with West Virginia for that spot. What I don’t understand is how USC is ranked number 1 overall without a dominant defense. USC gave up 374 yards per game last season to Alabama’s 181. For USC to hold on to this ranking their defense is going to have to step it up.

SEC still dominant. The SEC has 5 teams in the top 10 and 6 teams in the top 25. By seasons end the SEC could have as many as 8 ranked teams. Unfortunately most SEC teams don’t have too many big out of conference games to prove themselves against the voters but a tough SEC schedule should be hard enough.

I also doubt that Oklahoma and Florida State stay in the top 10 for long. Outside of E.J. Manuel there isn’t much proven talent on Florida States offense. I wouldn’t say that Manuel is a proven playmaker. Last season he threw for 18 TD’s and 8 interceptions and was kept in game largely due to Florida States swarming defense. We’ve been judging Manuel off of his potential and not production. I save judging off potential for Freshman other than that I go off what I see and I haven’t seen much from Manuel. Oklahoma just doesn’t have a good enough team to dominate the Big 12 like it did last year.

The two teams I’m personally excited about are Oregon and UGA. If Oregon beats USC twice this year and doesn’t get upset by Washington or Stanford then they could end the season #1 because there won’t be an undefeated team coming out of the SEC this year. UGA has BCS championship hopes this year. They have a schedule and talent enough to do it. UGA’s only weakness is that they’re thin in the secondary but Missouri and Tennessee are the only high powered offenses they play this season. If UGA can come into the SEC championship game with one loss and not get upset by Georgia Southern then they have a chance to make it to the BCS National Championship game. Mark Richt’s team has been known to fold under high expectations but with Jarvis Jones, Malcolm Mitchell, Aaron Murray and Freshman Keith Marshall it’s looking like Richt’s holding 4 of a kind.

As we all knew would happen, Nike has cooked up something new for the Ducks this season. The team is set to announce these uniforms sometime next week but courtesy of Nikeblog we have a little sneek peek. The helmet is reminiscent of the chrome one that they debuted last season, only green. The jersey just seems to be a revamped version of the home one with a new design for the ” wings ” on the shoulders. It’s obvious that the Ducks are a firm believer in look good play better. Last season opposing coaches tried to say that the Chrome helmets gave the Ducks an unfair advantage because of the glare that they gave off. Maybe thats why Nike is coming with a darker color this year although I highly doubt that they retire the chrome ones. Just goes to show having Nike as a next door neighbor pays off big time.

No more Ryan Broyles makes Stills the man. As a freshman last season Stills posted 61 catches for 786 yards and 5 touchdowns. This season Stills will be Landry Jones top target and that means big numbers. Stills stepped in smoothly last year after Broyles went down to injury. As long as Stills can remain focused and make catches as pretty as that purple dress he was photographed in earlier this summer then I have no doubt he will establish himself as one of the games top wideouts.

Ohio State Buckeye Quarterback – Braxton Miller

Last season was tough for Miller. He had his Head Coach quit amid a huge scandal. The coaching staff was sniffing its own ass while it had a freshman QB to groom. Up until that Wisconsin game we had pretty much written off Miller as a bust. But he showed signs of improvement. He showed flashes of greatness against Michigan and Florida as well last season. With Urban Meyer calling the shots at Ohio State I see Miller have a better season in an offense better suited to his skills. Miller is in the same mold as Tim Tebow while he’s not a great passer he can make plays with his feet. Miller has the ability to develop into a much better passer in this offense and build on his Gator Bowl performance against Florida last season.

Texas Longhorns Running Back – Malcolm Brown

Malcom Brown has the ability and the opportunity to shine down at 40 acres. With Texas running their dual QB system it’s obvious neither QB is showing much promise or improvement from last season so it’ll be up to the Longhorns running game to sustain the offense. That running game is led by Malcolm Brown. Brown is a big back who came bruise defenses but its also extremely quick for his size. Last season Brown disappeared in big moments. His lack of production was supposedly due to nagging injuries. He’s had an offseason to get healthy and grow in this offense. I look for Brown to be the first Longhorn back to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark since Jamaal Charles did it in 2007. He made the Maxwell Award watch list so let’s hope he lives up to the hype.

Georgia Bulldogs Wide Receiver – Malcolm Mitchell

Had Malcom Mitchell not been playing with an injured hamstring the majority of last year we would all know who he was. Mitchell has road runner speed and a friend of mine says “he’s as quick as a gazelle”. With Isiah Crowell off the team the Dogs will give their Freshman Running Back Keith Marshall a chance to prove himself but this is Aaron Murray’s team so he will be dropping back more than handing it off. Mitchell was recruited as a corner and practiced on the defensive side of the ball this Spring. With his speed and ability to make plays we might have another Charles Woodson on our hands. Mitchell’s prowess at corner on the college level has yet to be seen but from what he’s shown us everything is looking good. If speed kills Mitchell is ripe for a killing spree in 2012.

Washington Huskies QB – Keith Price

While the majority of the Pac-12 has become Matt Barkely fanboys Keith Price is going about business as usual, getting better and most importantly staying healthy. Last season Price played with hurt knees for the entire season. The one game he was 100 % was the Alamo Bowl against Baylor where he scored seven total touchdowns. Last season Price finished 6th in Heisman voting. Price is a dual threat QB who is deadly accurate and he plays in a pass happy offense that will allow him to post huge numbers. By seasons end I think Price will have made a case about who’s the best QB in the Pac-12.

West Virginia Mountaineers Wide Receiver – Tayvon Austin

Tayvon Austin ended his season by setting an Orange Bowl record for most TD’s by a receiver ( 4 ). Last season getting hands on Austin was about as easy as catching a gnat with tweezers. He lead the NCAA in all purpose yards last season with about 190 yards a game. With West Virginia moving to the Big 12 look for Austin to post big numbers against much better competition while making Geno Smith look good. This is Austin’s senior season and I do expect him to go out with a bang. Maybe this video will sway your opinion of Austin

Tennessee Volunteers QB – Tyler Bray

Many of the Volunteer faithful (myself included) and others believe that if Bray can stay healthy this can be his year. As it stands on most draft boards Bray is the 3rd or 4th best QB in this class. By years end he might be 1st or 2nd. O’Brien Trophy Watchlist and Tennessee’s Heisman hopeful Bray’s ceiling is just that high. Last year his production was detoured by injuries. He lost his top receiver Justin Hunter for the season early in the year against Florida. Just a few weeks later Bray went down to injury as well. He returned later in the year but it was obvious he just wasn’t clicking on all fours. The injury to Hunter allowed Da’Rick Rogers to develop into a serious threat at receiver and with both Hunter and Rogers coming back this season combined with a healthy Bray and a better O line this kid just might have Heisman hopes.

Louisville Cardinals QB – Teddy Bridgewater

Last season Bridgewater was a highly touted freshman coming out of Florida powerhouse Miami Northwestern. The same school that produced former Miami Hurricane QB Jacory Harris. Bridgewater is essentially the same player ass Harris but in a better offensive scheme against weaker competition. Bridgewater is also a better athlete and makes throwing on the run look as easy as buttering toast. Last season Bridgewater was forced to play due to injury and put up decent numbers ( 2129 Yards Passing and 14 TDs ). Bridgewater had several bright spots last year. With his athleticism and a year in this offense under his belt I see Bridgewater showing out against the subpar defenses of the Big East this year.

LSU Tigers Wide Receiver – Odell Beckham Jr.

Last season LSU’s offense struggled behind Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Both were shitty QB’s who couldn’t take advantage of the plethora of talent LSU has at wideout. Coupled with the fact that Beckham was a Freshman playing second fiddle to Reuben Randle in a run first offense didn’t help him either. With Zach Mettenberger under center this year we’ll expect many more big plays in the passing game. Les Miles has already alluded to the fact that he’s going to gear his offense around Mettenberger so expect Beckham to post big numbers this season. Beckham and Mettenberger have already looked in sync this spring with more than a few big hookups. Look for that chemistry to carry over into the season.

Oregon Ducks QB – Marcus Mariota

Okay Mariota isn’t a name many NCAA fans know or have ever heard of and as it stands he’s the #2 QB on the depth chart at Oregon. This is really only because Bryan Bennett played last year when Darren Thomas went down and lead Oregon to a few wins. They feel like Bennett has a better handle on the spread option than Mariota. But when I tell you Mariota is the real deal i’m not lying. Mariota’s passes are as pretty as a butterflies belly button and the boy has wheels. I’m talking 4.4 40 wheels…at QB. Comparing their Spring performances you’d think that Mariota would be the starter but they’re giving it to Bennett. But if Bennett struggles look for Mariota to shine.